NMG delays staff return to office despite military departure

NMG Uganda has delayed the return of staff to its offices despite the withdrawal of military personnel, citing ongoing security assessments before full reopening.

Nation Media Group (NMG) Uganda has delayed the return of staff to its offices despite the withdrawal of military personnel who had occupied the company’s premises for more than a month.

The Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) soldiers left NMG’s headquarters in Namuwongo and its broadcast studios at the Kampala Serena International Conference Centre, ending a security deployment that began on June 28.

A visit to the two locations by a URN reporter found no visible military presence, unlike the previous weeks when armed personnel guarded the premises.

At the Serena offices, staff confirmed that the soldiers had left.

“They left in the morning,” one employee told this publication.

The withdrawal was also confirmed in an internal communication from NMG management to staff.

“Please note that… the military has vacated our premises,” the message read.

However, management advised employees not to immediately return to the offices, saying security checks were still ongoing.

“A lot of checks are ongoing and we shouldn’t compromise that exercise,” the communication stated.

The company’s internal security team is conducting assessments before staff are allowed back into the affected premises.

Operations resume in phases

The military withdrawal comes days after NMG announced that it had received clearance to resume operations following weeks of high-level engagements involving government officials, the company’s management and its majority shareholder.

On July 28, NMG announced that it had been authorised to restart operations after discussions involving Taifa Group, which acquired a controlling stake in the media company earlier this year.

NMG chairman Joe Muganda said the company would restore its television, print, radio and digital platforms in phases.

For now, the company has resumed limited operations, with some staff working from unaffected offices at Commercial Plaza.

The newsroom continues to publish digitally through its website, YouTube channel and other online platforms, while television broadcasting and the printed newspaper are yet to fully return.

Month-long shutdown

The closure began in the early hours of June 28 when armed security personnel sealed off NMG’s Namuwongo headquarters and its broadcast studios at Serena.

The operation disrupted Daily Monitor, NTV Uganda, Spark TV, 93.3 KFM and 90.4 Dembe FM.

Electricity was disconnected, television and radio transmissions went off air, and journalists and other employees were unable to access their workplaces.

The shutdown followed public statements by Chief of Defence Forces Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who announced that Daily Monitor and NTV Uganda had been closed.

Gen Muhoozi later accused the media house of engaging in what he described as activism and promoting opposition and foreign interests.

The closure left hundreds of journalists and support staff unable to work for about a month.

Negotiated reopening

The reopening followed behind-the-scenes discussions rather than court action.

NMG majority shareholder Rostam Aziz, through Taifa Group, held engagements with Gen Muhoozi and President Yoweri Museveni as part of efforts to resolve the standoff.

Meetings were reportedly held at the Special Forces Command headquarters in Entebbe and later at State House.

After the reopening announcement, Mr Aziz thanked President Museveni and Gen Muhoozi for supporting the discussions that led to the resumption of operations.

The latest shutdown was the second major security occupation of Daily Monitor’s offices in just over a decade.

In May 2013, security forces occupied the newspaper’s premises for 11 days following publication of a story about the alleged “Muhoozi Project”, which examined claims about presidential succession.